A month away from home...it is strange to think about. Even stranger is the thought of being on the other side of the planet. Thank goodness Scott speaks the language and we have friends to drop in on every week or so.

Planning for this trip-or in Scott's case NOT planning-has really shown me the differences between us. I am not a control freak or anything (although this could be debated by friends and family...I don't know as it has never come up) but I like to have plans. I like to know what is coming next. Scott's attitude has been, "We don't really need an itinerary!" and then when he's trying to arrange business meetings, "Hey hon, when will we be in Vicenza?". So he let me amuse myself and make reservations in a few places. Out of the 27 days, we now have 12 accounted for, meaning places we HAVE to be because we have paid for rooms or have dates with friends. The rest of the time we are free floating around the country.

We are flying from Houston to Frankfurt and then on to Venice where we will park ourselves for 4 days. After that we are roaming all over northern and central Italy. Padua, Vicenza, Verona, Milan, Parma, Modena, Bologna, Florence, Lucca, Pisa, Ancona, Rimini, Ravenna...I have studied maps for so many months I can see these places in my head. For Scott and I to be alone, to be looking forward to my upcoming 50th birthday (what a half century celebration!) and to be so completely out of our element...well, I just can't imagine anything better. Stay posted...